Process of removing stocking from stocking-boards.



H. COULSTON. PROCESS OF REMOVING STOCKINGS FROM STOCKING BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, I913. 1 141377. PatentedJune 1, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

H. COULSTON.

PROCESS OF mzmovme STOCKINGS rnom STOCKING BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1913. 1,141,777. Patented June 1, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- H. COULSTUN' PROCESS OF REMOVING STOCKINGS FROMSTOCKING BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED FE8.26.1913. 1,11 7? Patented June 1, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- ED A E A NT HARRY COULSTON, 0E PHILADELPHIA, PNNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PHILA- DELPHIA TEXTILE MACHINERY ooMraNY, orPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

g PROCESS 0E REMOVING s'rooKINes FROM STOGKING-BOARD S.

Specification of Letters .P'atent.

rammed June 1, 1915.

Application filed February 26, ans. Serial No.- 750,873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY citizen of theUnited States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain Improvements in the Process of Re-v moving Stockings fromStocking-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tocertain improvements in the process ofremoving. stockings from stocking boards, particularly during themanufacture of the stockings. j

The object of the invention is to remove the stocking from the board insuch a manner that'it \vill'not be torn or unduly stretched and will beproperly pressed, so that one stocking after another can be laid on apile with the foot in proper relation to the leg.

In carrying out this'idea the board can either be removed from'thestocking while the stocking is being held, or the stocking can beremoved from the board while it is being held, or both can be moved inunison in opposite directions if desired.

The accompanying drawings illustrate in diagram the different steps ofthe process.

Figure 1-, is a plan view showing a stocking mounted on the board insuch position that it can begrasped at the toe and at the heel; Fig. 2,is a view showing mechanism grasping a stocking at the toe and heel,with the board in place prior to being removed; Fig. 3, illustrates thefirst step of the process of removing a stocking from a stocking board;Fig. 4-, illustrates the step where the board has been removed from thefoot portion and is passing'through the angle portion; F ig- 5, is aview illustrating the stock ing board emerging from the leg portion ofthe stocking; and Fig. 6, is a side view of a stocking mounted on astocking board and in the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

Prior to this invention no special process was used in the removal of astocking from a stocking board. No mechanism was employed and theremoval was accomplished by an operator merely grasping the heel of astocking and jerking the board out of the Applicant has found thatbetter results are obtained than heretofore by a careful removal of astocking from the stocking board.

7 .The mechanism shown for carrying out this process will be fully setforth and CouLs'roN, a"

claimed in an, application for patent which will be filed at a laterdate.

Stockings are dampened and then dried by heat and" the usual practiceisto mount these stocking boards in a drying chamber through which hot aircirculates, although recent developments have produced continuousmachines for feeding stocking boards with stockings thereon through dry-1ng chambers, and 'asa stocking emerges from the drying chamber it isremoved from the board. Stockings may also be dried by being placedonhollow forms in which air or steam is allowed to circulate, or theymay be dried by means of an electric current from a heater surroundingthe stocking, or from the coils in the board or} form.

In the present instance, I have illustrated simply the ordinary stockingboard, which is of thin metal or wood, and over which a stocking isplaced prior to the drying operation. a;

' Referring to the drawings, 1 is the stocking.

2 is the board or form over which the stocking is placed.

3 and 4 are gripping jaws, in the present instance forming part of amechanism illustrated in Figs. 2 and (3. Each jaw has a bottom plate 5and a cla'mp 6. The jaws are mounted on the arms 7, and the jaw 3 islocated on a carrier 8 to which a counterbalance 10 is attached by acord 9.

In Fig. 1, the clamps 6 are moved out of the path so as to allow astocking board, with the stocking thereon, to positionitself directlyover the bottom plates 5 of the gripping jaws 3 and 4. After a stocking"board is in position the clamps are moved over the top'of the stocking,clamping it to the bottom plates 5. The gripping jaw 4 grasps the heelof the stocking and the gripping jaw 3 grips the toe of the stocking, asillustrated in Fig. 2. Longitudinal move ment in the line of the arrowa, Fig. 2, is imparted to the board 2 and the removal of the board fromthe foot of the stocking causes the gripping jaw 3 to move toward thegripping jaw at, overcoming the counterweight 10, as clearly shown inFig. 3. This brings the toe and heel portions nearer to gether than inFig. 3, and allows the heel portion of the stocking to be withdrawn fromthe board to a greater extent than the I the portion, releases the heelof the board so that, as the movement of the board is continued, thefoot 11 of the board will pass through the angle portion 12 of thestocking at such an angle as to. give the ankle the least amount ofstretch possible.

The direction of movement of the board is at an angle to thelongitudinal line through the leg and as the foot of a stocking boardleaves the ankle portion of the stocking, as illustrated in Fig. 4, itpresses out the leg portion as it movescto the position illustrated inFig. 5, the toe and heel acting as spreaders for the leg portionfjsothat one stocking after another is placed in a pile until the numberdesired is reached.

,As the board is being removed from the stocking the toe gripping jaw 3is moved from the heel jaw 4, due to the counterweight in the presentinstance, and it. is turned in the direction of the arrow 6, Fig.

., 3, until it assumes the position illustrated in Fig. 4, the jaw 4turning with it, as the leg has assumed a position with its longitu-'dinal line parallel with the arrow (1, indicat ing the movement of theboard, Figs. 4 and 5, so that when the stocking is released from thejaws 3 and 4 the foot portion is in the same relation to the leg as itwas when on the board and all creasing or unevenness is avoided.

While I have shown mechanism for carrying out this process, it willreadily be understood that the operation can be done by 'hand, as wellasby the mechanism shown.

I claim 1. The process herein described of removing stockings fromflat'boards or forms in a flat'unru inpled :condition, said processconsisting in grasping the heel and toe ofthe stocking and engagingtheboard or form,

moving one part with respect to the other and withdrawing the heelportion of the stocking in advance of the toeso as to allow the heel ofthe boardtopass the portion back of the heel of the stocking withoutundue stretching and then continuing the movement so that the footportion of the board will act as a spreader for the leg of the.

stocking. V 2. The process herein described of removmg stockings fromfiat boards or forms in afiat unrumpled condition, said process con--sisting in grasping the stocking at the heel and at the toe,1novingtheheel toward the toe so that it will be removed in advance of. the toetoallow the heel of the board to pass the portion'back of the heelof thestocking .without undue stretching and continuing the movement on a linewhich will cause the foot portion of the board to act as a spreader forthe leg portion of the stocking, then turning the foot of the stockingso that when the board is removed from the stocking the foot thereofwill have the same. relation to the leg as it had prior to the :Witnesses i j.

' WM. E. SE"- a,

A. BARR.

